Why People Believe Weird Things? by Michael Shermer?

Question

Has anyone read this book? How would you critique this book? What was the main idea that he was trying to state?

Answer 1

This book should be turned into a high school class that students must pass to graduate. I don't think there could be a more important course offered. Unfortunately, even science classes don't offer this kind of advice on how to think. Usually they just involve the memorization of various facts. Why People Believe Weird Things does far more than this. The methodology presented by Shermer allows one to think clearly and understand why humans want to believe in so many false things.
Shermer's conclusion is very simple. People believe weird things because of wishful thinking and continue to believe in those things despite contrary evidence because they are unwilling to alter preconceived notions. The reasons for the unwillingness to shift paradigms are many. People don't want to admit they are wrong. They sometimes want something comfortable rather than something true (even if they play a game of pretend by calling their fantasies and wishes true). Racism and group think also play major roles. These weird theories are propagated through 'feedback loops' which Shermer explains by using the witch hunts as an example. Numerous other feedback loops have been created recently. The media (especially now with information being so easily exchanged on a national and global basis) has been a major player in starting and defusing these loops. The concept of 'memes' or mental viruses comes into play here although I don't think Shermer ever uses these terms.

Shermer is not afraid to debunk anyone or anything--even if it is something he partially believes in. For instance, even though he agrees with much of the objectivist philosophy, he shows how the actual movement took on a life of its own which puts some orthodox objectivists in a situation where they practice what they preach against. (I guess Shermer and I are heterodox objectivists. ;) ) He is against censorship of any form, and feels that both sides of all the 'weird' issues should be presented.

Perhaps the most interesting observation Shermer makes is with regard to the similarity in the flawed methodology that all the proponents of weird things use. His two main examples are creationists and Holocaust deniers. From my own experience, I know that Mormon apologetics also rely on this same methodology. The methodology includes these elements:

1. They concentrate on their opponents' weak points, while rarely saying anything definitive about their own position.
2. They exploit errors made by scholars who are making opposing arguments, implying that because a few of their opponents' conclusions were wrong, all of their opponents' conclusions must be wrong.
3. They use quotations, usually taken out of context to buttress their own position.
4. They mistake genuine, honest debates between scholars about certain points within a field for a dispute about the existence of the entire field.
5. They focus on what is not known and ignore what is known, emphasize data that fit and discount data that do not fit.
Finally, Shermer presents a very good look at what the scientific method can accomplish and exactly what the method is and isn't. The scientific method is broad enough to cover much more than easily testable problems. Pseudo-science, pseudo-religion, and pseudo-history can all be marginalized if more people use the tools and methods Shermer so clearly presents.
UFO abductions...television psychics...creationism...Holocaust denial. Faced with the rapid changes and anxiety of modern life, many people are turning to the alluring comforts of pseudoscience and the occult. In Why People Believe Weird Things, science historian Michael Shermer, the publisher of Skeptic magazine and director of the Skeptics Society, explores the very human reasons we find supernatural phenomena, conspiracy theories, and cults so appealing. Shermer also reveals the darker and more fearful side of wishful thinking, including Holocaust denial, creationism, the recovered memory movement, alien abduction experiences, the satanic ritual abuse scare and other modern witch crazes, extreme Afrocentrism, and ideologies of racial superiority. A compelling and often disturbing portrait of our immense capacity for self-delusion, Why People Believe Weird Things celebrates the scientific spirit and the joy to be found in rationally exploring the world's greatest mysteries even if many of the questions remain unanswered.

Answer 2

He makes the point that people believe weird (i.e., irrational) things for a variety of reasons. Some of these include: wishful thinking (heaven, life after death), fear (hell, divine punishment), tradition (I'm a ---- because my parents were), incomplete information (in olden days thunder was the anger of the gods), coincidence (a black cat crosses your path and a few minutes later you get hit by a car), and so-called revelation (the Bible or the Koran says it, so it must be true -- for example, that Joshua blew his horn and the walls of Jericho came tumbling down). If you read the book, try to do so with an open mind. It's a healthy antidote to a lot of the unscientific thought (like astrology) that has plagued humanity for millennia.

Answer 3

Maybe he read the quote from Henry David Thoreau that stated " There is more in the Earth than the minds of men can conceive" and decided to expand on it.

Answer 4

This is one of my favourite non-fiction books. The first two answerers couldn't have put it better in my opinion.